


Looking Both Ways

by Blacketh (Plasmatic)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eating Disorders, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Making Out, Meeting the Parents, Mental Breakdown, Slice of Life, Stargazing, Stress Relief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plasmatic/pseuds/Blacketh
Summary: Just a growing group of oneshot between characters who didn't get enough screen time together!Chapter One: Kokichi finds out Angie’s motive.Chapter Two: Celestia meets his son’s boyfriend and his mother (Saiouma)Chapter Three: Akane notices Hiyoko acting strangely by the restaurantChapter Four: Kyoko keeps coming home late, and Celeste has mixed feelings about it (Celesgiri).Chapter Five: Nagito first finds Chiaki in the hotel lobby, and they play a game together.
Relationships: Celestia Ludenberg & Oma Kokichi, Kamisama | Atua & Yonaga Angie, Kirigiri Kyoko & Celestia Ludenberg, Kirigiri Kyoko & Saihara Shuichi, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Komaeda Nagito & Nanami Chiaki, Oma Kokichi & Yonaga Angie, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter Listing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where I’ll write down the two main characters, just for when I can’t fit any in the bio anymore. It’ll have a bio too for each.

**Chapter 1: Angie & Kokichi**

_Kokichi watches Angie’s motive video. He tries to understand her better, as they watch the sky together._

**Chapter 2: Celestia & Kyoko (+ Shuichi & Kokichi)**

_Kokichi begs for Celestia to visit Shuichi’s parents until she gives in. Old memories come back as she is forced to remember her past regrets._

**Chapter 3: Akane & Hiyoko**

_Akane notices Hiyoko acting suspiciously in the restaurant, and starts questioning the intentions and reasonings of her strange behaviour._

**Chapter 4: Celestia x Kyoko**

_Kyoko keeps coming home late, and Celestia doesn't want it to happen again. Once she finds out why, she takes matters into her own hands._

**Chapter 5: Nagito & Chiaki**

_Nagito first meets Chiaki by the arcade machines, and he wants to get to know the Ultimate Gamer a bit more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Why is everyone crowded around Angie's room?" Kokichi thought as he walked up to her door.


	2. Angie and Kokichi

Angie made sure to look both ways, before dropping her smile entirely.

She found it almost tiring being so cheerful in a situation like this; of course she wanted to make others smile, but was there really a point of doing so when another dies?

_Angie doesn't remember the last time she had lost this many people at once._

It was first Rantaro, and then Kaede, and they just witnessed Ryoma's lifeless body getting eaten by piranhas...

Shuichi had asked for everyone to investigate as much as they could, but Angie couldn't bring herself to do so. Although she didn't show it, she was horrified. They had all just watched another person die, and now they were forced to go through another trial. 

Another living being was gone, and it was an act of murder by another classmate.

She was lying on the grass, opposite to the school dormitories. She knew that both Kaito and Shuichi had claimed this area for training, but Angie found the view from this place the most mesmerising; so she would go there whenever she could.

On most circumstances, she usually went to her room when longing to ease her mind, but that enclosed space reminded her too much of how Ryoma was found...

...and it was better to be in a cage with other people, than in a cage to your own bedroom.

****

~~~

Although there were metal bars cutting the view at places, the brilliance of the sun and blue sky still shined through them. Of course, the sun didn't feel as bright than back in her own country, but it was refreshing to her that she could even watch the sun move across her view.

"Angie?"

And in an instant, the smile of her face – the one that she had trained herself to make – took control of the situation. She didn't need to turn around to decipher who's voice it was, but she did anyway. 

"Nyahahaha! Kokichi! What a surprise to see you here."

He looked exhausted, yet almost defeated. She wondered whether it was from the Insect Meet or Greet, or his failed attempt to recover all the Monopads. Angie would've sympathised with him if it didn't put her and Himiko's life in danger.

Kokichi sat down rather hastily, and exhaled. It wasn't long before both were laying down on the floor, staring at the sky. Freedom was so close, yet so far for the both of them.

"Soooooooo," Angie tried, "Are you here to proclaim your devotion to Atua. A pint of your blood is more than enough for Angie!"

Kokichi didn't respond at first, and Angie turned to see if he was really there. 

For an 'Ultimate Supreme Leader', he looked rather torn. He was biting his finger, eyes squinting, and staring fiercely through the gaps of the cages... as if he was thinking how to respond to her question, or vent his feelings out.

**"I hate liars."**

Kokichi still hadn't averted her gaze, but the malice was there. It was a type of malice that wasn't directed at her though – it was to everyone.

"Is that so, Kokichi? Atua also has a strong dislike for liars."

Another long pause.

"Atua has also noticed the amount of times you have lied. He is actually very disappointed-"

"You can drop the act now."

Angie looked at Kokichi quizzically. 

_"I watched your motive video"._

Kokichi was looking at her dead in the eyes now, and Angie almost let the façade break apart. She wanted to believe that it was yet another lie, but he was staring with such a ferocious intensity. There was no doubt that he knew.

"Nyahahaha! Kokichi, did you not just say that you despise liars?"

"So you really are going to keep this up aren't you..." Kokichi rolled his eyes, and quietly muttered under his breath, "... well at least she isn't as bad as Maki..."

On the outside, Angie still looked as carefree as ever. 

They were both staring into the sky again; the clouds had blocked the sunlight, and so the air was filled with a sombre silence. What came as a surprise to her though, was that the air felt more comfortable than it had been before.

"Why did you make up this Atua thing anyway?" Kokichi asked, his voice peaked a genuine interest.

It was Angie's moment to stay silent, and – from the corner of her eye – she watched Kokichi turn to face Angie. No doubt now that he had witnessed the lack of a smile in the artists face. 

She thought deeply for a moment. Was there a reason to lie to him anymore? After all, Kokichi knew enough about her now. Enough about Angie and her beliefs... or what she didn't believe in. 

And even if she lied , Kokichi would immediately point it out...

"Angie, why did you lie about Atua?"

**"Because why not."**

He promptly stopped putting pressure on his fingers, and visibly froze for a couple moments. It must've left him speechless.

They were both staring at each other now, and Angie was trying to read the boys emotion – it was like he was trying to answer her question. Angie almost admired his attempt to try, but she already knew that he would answer wrong. Nobody ever answered that question correctly.

Nobody here even understands the both of them, so would they even understand each other?

"Is Atua your hope?"

It was like a young kid, trying to explain every single problem in the world. But of course they were wrong. Nobody ever understood. She had used Atua to "save" people for years, but nobody ever understood.

_Well, Rantaro was the closest, until he was killed. What a shame._

She sighed, and Kokichi was now staring at her intently. He looked like he was desperate to know, to understand, to feel her emotions...

Was she really going to tell Kokochi of all people the truth? It was a strange twist of events really, but not an unwelcome one. Taking a long breath, she made her choice – there was no point running away from Kokichi about the truth.

"When we were first put into this game... this killing game, I knew that some people would... lose hope faster than others" Angie looked up again, avoiding all eye contact. 

They were definitely both thinking about Himiko. 

Angie continued. "So I just wanted them... her... to have a reason to live and to stop any... deaths... that is all."

"So... do you believe in Atua?"

"Of course not. There is no special somebody to save us from this despair."

Another pause. The clouds that had once been blocking the way had disappeared, leaving the both of them under an intense glow. 

"You know Angie... maybe I completely misread you!" Kokichi sounded like he was actually smiling now. Angie would've checked herself, but she didn't want to take her eyes of the radiance of the sun.

"This whole time I thought you were some crazy religion freak, but you don't seem so bad." He continued, "You just want everyone to keep living."

Angie was moved enough by his words to change her focus from the sun to him. He was actually smilling now... and Angie couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess I could say the same for you."

**~~~**

_"But what if you die?"_

Both of them were stood up, since Kokichi caught sight of Shuichi walking into the swimming pool area, and neither wanted the risk of being caught here of all places. 

"I-If you die, then Himiko will... she'll learn that not even Atua could save them-"

"I don't plan on dying." Angie interrupted.

"Huh?"

"If my faith in the others is strong, and if they have faith in me, I will survive with the others."

Kokichi wasn't smiling anymore.

**~~~**

It was another restless night for Angie. She had gotten up, and out of her art room. It was almost painful to be in the presence of those artworks. It hurt her mentally.

She decided that now would be the best time to go outside. Maybe it was colder than the morning, but the air wouldn't feel stuffy, and the stars were the most beautiful at this time of day...

...and she would be safe.

Angie waved at Himiko, who was at the second floor, and Tsumugi, who happened to walk out of the girl's restroom. She was glad none of them pursued her to the courtyard.

She scanned the area, in sight for any Kaito or Shuichi or Maki. Nobody was there. It was only her, and the endless sky.

She had only seen the stars once from this part of the courtyard, but ever since Kaito and Shuichi took this place for training, she never got the chance to take in it's beauty. It looks really beautiful now, with its intricate shades of blacks and whites.

But – as she was about to lie down – she caught sight of unusual strands of purple hair in her midst. She squinted; there was no doubt that it was another person.

On the opposite side, almost hidden in the bushes, Kokichi was on the grass. He was grimacing and holding his neck in certain pain, but still watching the stars with wondrous eyes. _Was Maki really squeezing that hard?_

Angie decided to join Kokichi at watching the stars. He quickly noticed when Angie sat down, but did not say a word. Angie didn't either. 

There was a few minutes where both just stared into the night. In some ways, she was jealous that Kaito had an ultimate that fascinating; having a passion of going to outer space is truly a gift in its own.

Kokichi broke the silence.

”You're taking this a lot further than I expected you too, but I guess this was what you were talking about earlier, right."

"I have faith that everyone follows these rules. Nobody will die now."

She promptly stopped talking once she saw a shooting star, flying across her vision. The both of them followed its movements – no matter how ugly the situation got, the night sky was always so beautiful.

"There's no point wishing the same wish, right?" Kokichi said wistfully.

Another pause. They both fell into another comfortable silence; it was something that had happened a multitude of times by now, but neither did not mind it.

"Tell me about yourself Kokichi!"

"Nihihihi. Well I guess that I DO owe you some information about my super secret organisation..."

"Well, you can start by telling me how far your relationship has gone with Shuichi!"

"Yeah! Well- WAIT WHAT?"

Angie started giggling, and soon afterwards, Kokichi did too. He was being so bashful, looking away with an evident blush on her white skin, but they were having fun. She could clear her mind from everything this way, from death, and despair, and Tenko's betrayal...

"You're picking Rantaro? That's probably the best idea." Kokichi asked once the laughter died down.

Angie nodded, before promptly sitting up. Kokichi did too, but out of reflex; he must've been surprised at the lack of time they had spent together.

"I can't lose focus now... I probably need to get some candles now." Angie said, and she stood up. 

Kokochi stayed on the grass. He had his hands behind his head though, but he looked almost dejected. "Let's talk later. I want to devise a plan, and you could be very useful."

The emotions he had didn't show in his voice at all, as he said it so nonchalantly. But Angie had finally seen through some of his cracks. Her smile was a bit more genuine this time.

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"You too, Angie..."

From a distance, Tsumugi smiled.


	3. Family Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celestia meets his son’s boyfriend and his parents

"You want me to meet him so badly?" Celestia asked, staring intently at the metal-plated ring on her finger. She still couldn't believe that she was getting roped into this situation, by his own son no less, for the hundredth time no less.

"Yes! Mom, he's great! He's a detective, so he can keep me on check if I do anything stupid!' Kokichi replied, who seemed even more energetic than usual.

Celestia's sighed. He had heard this many times already, and each time she heard it, she felt the same dread in her chest.

~~~

The first time that Kokichi had mentioned that his supposed boyfriend was a detective, Celestia started to count her days.

It was true that Celestia had always wanted a son-in-law, but for them to be a detective of all the occupations in the world? It truly frustrated her.

She knew that the closer that the detective got to them, the more that they would learn about her past. It was always the case. She wondered how long it would be until she would be exposed to the world .

It didn’t help that his entire family line were detectives too. _It only meant that they would find out sooner..._

Usually, she adored the attention she received, but – for the last 16 years – her identity was the very last thing she wanted for anyone to find out. She didn’t even want Kokichi to know who Celestia Ludenberg truly was.

**Because Celestia Ludenberg was in the past now.**

...

_All she ever wanted was for her son to be happy, so she had to do it for his wellbeing. It wasn’t an easy decision._

For her whole life, she wanted to give Kokichi the love that her parents refused to give, and for him to live a lifestyle that didn't harm him physically and mentally. It was something that Celestia had never experienced.

_~~**Celestia Ludenberg.** ~~ _

She had gotten rid of that name a long time ago. It had been dug deep into the ground for 17 years now; and she did it willingly. It was all in order for her son to be happy.

Taeko was her name now. She wanted nothing to do with Celestia (not the money though, she was keeping that), and she couldn't be any happier since then.

From that day onwards, Taeko vowed to keep him away from violence and substance abuse. She vowed to show love again. She vowed to treat Kokichi as well as she possibly could.

Of course, she hadn't been 100% successful; being a single parent only meant that Kokichi would gain a few... negative personality traits from her (and there was solid proof). But Kokichi was absolutely nothing like her past 16 year old self. He had the kindest heart, even if it didn't show itself at times.

_And that boy, Shuichi, sees it too._

Taeko looked at Kokichi. He looked so happy; his smiles had been so much wider ever since he had met this supposed individual, and the boy was clearly rubbing off onto him.

Lately, Kokichi has been more… well behaved. In fact, last week was the very first week in all her life that a teacher had phoned in to say that he had NOT gotten himself into trouble. She knew that it wasn’t something to be over the moon about, but it was something so unexpected. She couldn’t help but feel giddy the entire day, and it was all thanks to his boyfriend no doubt.

In the end, Taeko was truly happy for her son. Kokichi had found someone who could discipline him to no end…

...but the thought of him being from a line of detective also bugged her mind to no end.

Taeko was well aware that her safety would be on the line with the possibility that she would be unveiled by Shuichi's family. The consequences could be disastrous, and life-altering.

It was dangerous...

"Mom! Please please please please please please can you meet him! I know you'll like him, and he's not boring at all! You can believe me!"

...but he has been doing this for the last 4 weeks now.

"Alright! Yes, we can go meet this 'Shuichi' person!"

"Really Mom?”

She didn't know why she would say yes of all days, but she had a sudden bout of courage. Maybe it was staring at the plated ring on her finger...

“…Don’t make me say this twice.”

Maybe she wouldn't let herself gamble with money anymore, but she could still gamble with her own life to see whether she could get away with this.

“Yayyyyyy, I love you Mom!"

_Taeko Yasuhiro grimaced._

~~~

The car drive wasn't far at all – both Shuichi and Kokichi did go to the same school after all.

Kokichi had been uncharacteristically quiet, and when she look through the rearview mirror, she realised how much he was fidgeting. He probably wanted this to go as well as she did.

He had explained earlier that he hadn't met his boyfriend's parents either. All he knew that she was also a single mother, and that she had an almost clean sheet in detective cases. Kokichi probably said that final part to impress her, but it only made her more nervous; she kept it all under wraps with a smile though.

Shuichi's mother was on the phone when Kokichi called his boyfriend, and she agreed to this... "meet-up" immediately. The quickness didn't help at all. Taeko imagined that his mother to be the type to do a thorough investigation into Kokichi and every relative concerning him, and that would include her...

_Could she already know?_

Kokichi's fidgeting had increased by the time they'd reached their destination, but he almost drove towards the front door once he was able to get out. He was such a complicated young man – sometimes, even she didn't know what emotions he was feeling.

Instead of rushing towards the doorstep though, Taeko decided to savour every last step. After all, it may well be the very last steps in the open air for a while.

She wanted to laugh at how melodramatic she was acting, but it was a sickening fact.

It **was** suicide. She was walking into a detectives home as a (once) infamous gambler, and then befriending them. Of course, she had never committed an awful crime in her life, but her guilt by association could put her in jail for decades. She could lose many things.

...

But she was doing this for her son, and she was going to make sure that everything will work out well. They don't have to find out... immediately. She just needed to impress them so that Kokichi and his boyfriend can be satisfied. That was all.

That was all...

~~~

The boy who answered the door was something she absolutely had not expected.

He had dark blue hair with golden eyes – it even startled her for a moment. His pale skin contrasted his black clothes, and his physique made him look vulnerable, yet strong-minded. He looked absolutely nothing like a detective, and that in itself, made him look like the perfect type to become one.

"H-Hello." He looked very shy, but his eyes were directly on hers. It was admirable, to be completely honest.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Shuichi." Taeko replied, and cupped his hands, giving it a warm handshake.

Taeko wondered whether Shuichi was more surprised over her calling him with his first name, or from how much of an effort she was putting into this introduction.

She could hear Kokichi groaning from behind her; he obviously wanted a turn with his boyfriend. She rolled her eyes comically and stepped aside.

"Shumaiiiii!" Kokichi immediately leaped upon the detective, once she had moved back. Shuichi visibly looked elated, and Taeko didn't need to fake a smile this time as she watched the two embrace one another.

"And you must be Taeko Yasuhiro..." a voice said from behind Shuichi.

Taeko turned her gaze away from the two; she wasn't shocked at the fact that Shuichi's mother had known her name, but was once she stared right into her eyes.

_One thing that Celestia Ludenberg never forgets is the eyes of the opponents s_ _he battles. This one was much too familiar to her, but she couldn't put a name to it._

_Could she be a gambler too..? Maybe she was safe?_

"Hello," the woman said, "My name is... Kyoko Kirigiri."

**Oh, this is so much worse than she imagined it to be.**

**~~~**

The house was big. It wasn't as big as the one Kokichi and Taeko shared, but it was definitely well-put for a family of two.

They had immediately gone to the dining table. It was a good start for her; the quicker this was, the easier it would be to not get caught. She had to win this battle.

After all, the very last place Celestia would ever want to be would be in the same room as one of the best detectives in the country, and her son. Could she even outsmart her... _twice?_

Both Taeko and Kokichi both faced Kyoko and Shuichi respectively. It was almost cliche – if it wasn't for the food that rested in front of them, and how bad Taeko's nerves were at the moment. She tried focusing on the food for now.

There were treats – Kokichi's favourites – in a bowl in the middle of the table. Taeko didn't mind the childlike behaviour that Kokichi had possessed sometimes, and it looked like neither the other two either, which was why she didn't stop Kokichi from stuffing them into his mouth.

“Wow! I didn’t even tell you that I liked these ones!”

She wondered whether Kyoko had found out of his favourite treats, or whether it was Shuichi. Either way, Kokichi’s comment wasn’t helping.

All she needed was for things to go smoothly.

"Well, it would be nice to get to know you two well." Taeko had asked as nicely as possible.

Both Kyoko and Shuichi looked at each other and smiled. They began to talk. Thank heavens that she could still pull off a good façade, because Taeko wouldn't know what she would do if she couldn't keep a straight face right now.

So far, it was going according to plan: she was going to listen, and then reveal as little of her life as possible, before finding a reason to leave.

She had no clue why her past determination had suddenly disappeared. Was it because she didn't have her plated ring with her anymore? Was that why she could feel all the courage she had wash away from her?

...Taeko couldn't lose now. She had to keep this going for just a little while longer.

~~~

When Shuichi had stopped talking, she realised that there was absolutely no way that Kokichi would NOT be infatuated with this person. He had seemed extremely polite and had a very clear and concise way of talking. He sounded like the person who listened more than he talked.

He was a perfect match for her son – someone not too serious and not too relaxed.

While his mother talked, she realised that Kyoko was just as interesting as the first time they had met. To say the least, she was an intriguing character: exceptionally talented with her wit; had a very polite yet almost emotionless tone; and re-verified her almost clean sheet in detective cases. She wondered how much she had kept her intelligence under wraps.

_Maybe she should praise her, this will give a good impression._

"My son also mentioned about your detective clean sheet."

"Well, there is... one... which I could not solve."

"That's a shame Kyoko, but you shouldn't bring yourself down so much over it."

"Thank you, Taeko."

There was a moment of silence. It must've been a touchy subject for Kyoko.

Taeko was about to change the subject, before it got too awkward. She was about to to delve into her own life, but stopped herself as she watched Shuichi's mouth moving. She didn’t want to interrupt him.

"Red eyes... pale face... black hair." Shuichi's commented under his breath. He then looked up, "Ah! Sorry, it's just that your looks reminded me of the eye-witness accounts of that one case."

**~~~**

**  
_The damage had already been dealt._  
**

Both hers and Kyoko's eyes widened then. It was like the entire script had been flipped at once.

But he was absolutely right. Opponents were only allowed to see her red eyes, and pale skin, and black pigtails, whilst she covered the rest of her face with a black veil.

They couldn't even see her face structure or body type, as Celestia was sat on a throne for every battle, playing underneath a dim candlelight. They were forced to kneel as they played with her. It was embarrassing for them, but she felt like a goddess. It felt so thrilling.

Red eyes. Pale face. Black hair.

Many people would call out the resemblances to Taeko, but it always ended there. After all, her appearance had changed a lot since those days: she incinerated her clip-ons, opting to grow out her hair instead. Her hair went down to her back now, and it made an extremely big difference to her look. It was enough to not be prosecuted as a suspect.

_She was that serious about hiding her identity._

However, Kyoko should know something that nobody else knows, and it came in a certain accessory, on her right hand...

~~~

_They had met before._

_This woman came by herself, which was quite rare. Usually, opponents of hers came in groups, to play one large game. They would bet all their chips and lose to Celestia. It was the daily routine for her._

_But she was different._

_Not even one discussion had happened yet, and she already stood out to the gambler._

_By the time they were seated, Celestia already knew that she was an undercover detective – she didn't look like the type to gamble, and she didn't look nervous betting so much. Her purple eyes were everywhere that game, trying to look for any subtleties in her appearance._

_She must've noticed it then. The metal on the index finger of her right hand. No other player would've noticed due to Celestia's intense eyes, but she was just as strong as her. Her eyes noticed._

_Celestia still remembered the deal they made beforehand; she was to reveal her face if she were to lose, and the woman would reveal her name for the other outcome. Usually, she didn't care of her opponents' details, but this one was special. She accepted without hesitation._

_The woman had offered to play two different games, but the second one was most interesting. So interesting in fact, that they scrapped the first one, just to play this one three times._

_It was a murder mystery game._

_A two-player version. It was something that shouldn't exist. She had played this game a few times, and it was always three players or more._

_The woman was dead serious. She had even been gifted the upcoming board and set, just for this moment._

_"They know me well." The woman had said in response when Celestia had asked. It was a lie, but even this detective knew that Celestia would see through that lie. That was why she offered the deal, after all._

_It must've been a half-lie. The box didn't look like it was opened yet, and it looked almost custom-made for this occasion. 'Even they want to know who I am' she thought giddily. It was an exhilarating feeling nonetheless._

_"I'm pretty good at these games."_

_She wondered whether the detective had made her identity known so easily on purpose, just so the gambler would oblige to the deal they made. That was when she knew that she shouldn't underestimate this player. She was clever._

_She was absolutely right. It was some of the closest games that she had ever played – probably the closest it would ever be in a long time. She hadn't needed to use her mind like this for so long._

_The girl had admitted that she had never lost to a game of murder mystery in her entire life, so the look of shock upon her face after losing three times concurrently must've been completely genuine. She must've thought playing logically – as always – would make her win, but she had underestimated Celestia's intelligence. She had underestimated the use of risks._

_Begrudgingly, the woman had to submit her name. "Kyoko Kirigiri," she had said bluntly, and Celestia made sure to keep that name on the notepad beside her. As soon as she looked up though, the woman had disappeared._

_Celestia couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed – she was growing on the gambler just for a second, and she was a formidable opponent, and not boring at all…_

_"Well," the gambler called out to absolutely nobody, "I would love to play with you again someday!"_

_There was no response in the shadows; not that she really expected one anyway…_

_Now that she thought about it deeply, she wondered whether she lost the day that she saw Kyoko Kirigiri for the first time._

_Because she had realised that it could all be over now._

~~~

Kyoko, at once, grabbed her hand – the one where her metallic ring laid. Taeko may have thought ahead to remove it, but she had never thought of the mark that would stay behind.

****

**The mark was still there.**

"S-So it is you..." Kyoko eyes looked so conflicted and betrayed, as if it were going through a multitude of emotions.

The room was silent for a couple moments. Everybody was taking it all in. The fact that maybe Taeko wasn’t as innocent as everything had thought.

"Please stay here while I warrant for your immediate arrest."

"I did it again..."  
"Mom? What is she talking about?”  
"Excuse me, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the present situation”.

She had expected this response.

Maybe Celestia Ludenberg wasn't the direct cause to many gambling... incidents, but she was connected to many, many people. She had information on so many people in-fact, that it would put the entire detective agency to shame. She knew the tales of too many unsolved crimes, and homicides, and organisations, without her direct involvement in it. She could be useful.

"I suppose you knew who I was already, Celestia Ludenberg," Kyoko responded icily, ignoring their protests.

She had even used her full alias, and the sounds of moving chairs could be heard. Both Kokichi and Shuichi had moved in shock. They found out… Kokichi found out…

Celestia Ludenberg was a household name. Some despised her rouse as a mysterious woman, and others admired it. To even be in the presence of her would warrant such a reaction.

"I was the one who investigated you." Kyoko continued, with such concentrated malice in her voice. She was trying to sound controlled, but it was obvious that she was slowly falling apart. She was getting more and more emotional by the second. "You were the key factor to nearly every gambling case we had ever investigated."

"You lied and weaved your way out of my hands. You made our entire department infamous for gambling cases." Kyoko had stood up now; she couldn't keep her voice calm anymore. "And you... you ARE the sole factor into the one case that I couldn't solve."

Kyoko abruptly ended, and the room was moved to another silence. Taeko never knew how much of an impact Celestia had. Taeko never knew how much of a mockery Celestia had made of Kyoko… and Taeko never know of how problematic Celestia was.

_If she were the person that she was 16 years ago, she would've found it amusing... but now?_

"So what!?" Kokichi asked, his own emotions slowly getting to him, "This is the first time I've heard of this! Isn’t it obvious that Mom's changed for the better now!"

_That was her first shock._

She looked towards his son and saw that he wasn’t upset at her. He didn’t look happy either; his frustration to seem to be solely upon her old opponent. Taeko felt unimaginable relief that Kokichi wasn’t disgusted at her.

"That would be exactly what a liar would say, but I already know your ulterior motives," Kyoko said it blankly; she really hadn't changed from the woman she had met all those years ago...

"Oh, please amuse me!" Taeko couldn’t help it. She switched back to her infamous accent just once.

She saw the emotion on the detective's face swirl and morph at once. Taeko knew then that she now opened the Pandora's Box that laid dormant in Kyoko's mind.

"You are using your son to get yourself out of this, aren't you?" Kyoko stated. "Did you expect that Kokichi and Shuichi being together would make me… forgive you?"

Taeko truly understood why Kyoko would come to that conclusion, but she never expected that she would think so lowly of Celestia Ludenberg.

"What?" Kokichi hissed out impulsively.

But then the detective had gasped, before staring down Taeko. She looked like she had worked an even uglier hypothesis. The daggers she glared down upon her felt almost reminiscent.

"Does Kokichi love my son? Or are you using this as a way out for everything you did-"

**Maybe things happened at once.**

Taeko gasped in horror. She had never expected for her identity to be revealed so soon, but for this woman to think that her son would take advantage of a detective, just so Celestia could be let off the hook? She had been a bad person, but she wouldn't ever resort to such lows, like manipulating somebody's feelings of love.

"Excuse me!?" Kokichi stood up. He looked like he was about to blow a fuse. "Look, I get it, maybe my mom wasn't the best, but I LOVE Shumai... alright? As I said, I didn't even know about my mom's past life."

Taeko never allowed Kokichi to ever speak up to adults, but after what Kyoko had suggested, she let his slide just this once.

"Or is that just another lie?" The years of frustration over not finding out Celestia's true identity must finally be caving down at this moment.

Taeko sympathised with the silver-haired woman.

**_But she won't let ANYONE talk to her son like that._ **

"Excuse me?" Taeko stood up, but her composure had not changed once at all though. "I gave up my past as Celestia Ludenberg to make him happy, and if I could go back in the past, I would do it all over again. Why won't you believe what my son is saying?"

All three of them had stood up now and were raising their voices (well it was only Kokichi really). Taeko really understood Kyoko's pain; if she had opened up to them at least once, many unsolved problems over the years would've been solved. But she hadn't cooperated with detectives even once, and it was too late to arrest them now...

Taeko knows that she was already in trouble from talking so much, but to compare Kokichi to the likeness of Celestia was something she will never allow.

"Why won't you believe us, Kyoko?"

"Because you two are made of lies."

"Do you honestly think that we lie every time WE BREATHE!?"

"Not at all, but I very well believe that this gambler would gamble his own son for her own freedom."

"How DARE you speak about my mom that way!!"

"I love Kokichi, and Kokichi loves Shuichi. I don't see any reason why you must bring my past into this."

"Right now, I wonder if you planned this entire ordeal. Manipulating my son into-"

" **PLEASE STOP!** "

A voice screamed from beside them. They were so heated in their argument, that they didn't notice the other battle that was going on beside them. They didn't notice one of them was still sitting down.

"...please.” Shuichi was trembling, and he had tears flowing down his cheeks. He had his knees to his chest and was covering his ears so pitifully. It was a mental breakdown.

The room was quickly moved into silence.

"I l-love him, and y-you are telling m-me he was l-lying?" Shuichi was breathing heavily. He looked across the room, before stopping at Kokichi. "D-Do you really l-love me?"

In the years of raising her son, Taeko had especially taught Kokichi to never show anger, but right now, she had never seen him look so furious. He looked like he was going to scream... to hurt... to cry...

Taeko had had enough.

"Shuichi." She whispered softly.

Before either the other two caused any more problems, Taeko sat down and leaned into the table to hold Shuichi's hands. She didn't know whether it was the softness in his voice, but he didn't resist the touch. She brought them closer to the table.

"For the past few weeks, my son has been... begging for me to meet you. I know how much he loves you… and I'm sure you do too." Taeko offered a weak smile, "I'm sorry that my past has caused so many problems now. I hate it as much as you do... but that doesn't change the fact that my son loves you, from the bottom of his heart."

"If I must... lose custody of my own son for your happiness. I will do it." Taeko breathed out shakily, and it elicited two gasps. "But I will be so happy to know that my… son would be with somebody so kind as you."

Shuichi's sobs quietened down less by less. Taeko could feel her hand getting squeezed ever so lightly, and she couldn't help but squeeze back.

_Because she was scared too._

She could see Kyoko staring at the interaction. Years of gambling had allowed her to read the emotions off of even the most unemotional people.

And Kyoko had the same face as she did all those years ago.

**Taeko squeezed harder.**

~~~

When everyone in the room had calmed down, Kokichi pulled her into a long embrace. She hadn't seen her son truly cry in a very long time, but here he was, wiping his tears on her dress. "M-Mom... but I don't want you to go."

Kokichi snapped his head to face Kyoko, but he must've stopped himself once he saw the look on her face. She looked distraught.

"What kind of mother am I?" Kyoko looked across the room. She was trying to blink away her tears, but her eyes were still quivering slightly. "I couldn’t accept that someone has changed for the better, and then believed that your son d-didn't love mine-"

"But I do deserve the consequences." Celestia agreed wholeheartedly before Kyoko said it herself. "If you take money, I will gladly repay all the work that you have spent on me."

Kyoko looked at Taeko, and then at Kokichi, who was stroking Shuichi's hair. He was comforting him. It must've been the realisation point for her:

Kokichi was not Celestia Ludenberg's son – he was Taeko Yasuhiro's son.

"I would much rather prefer it if... I get to see you every week. T-That way, I can understand how you escaped all my traps to reveal your identity. It may help with a few of our unsolved cases."

Both Shuichi and Kokichi looked up.

Taeko was relieved. It was an unimaginable feeling of comfort. "I will not reveal any names, but I will happily help you in this course of action".

Kyoko would probably never forgive Celestia for what she had done to her personally, but it was the first step for both women, wasn't it? She could still be friends with Taeko. They smiled at one another.

Shuichi and Kyoko looked at each other. Taeko watched as a tear fell from Kyoko's cheek. "I'm so.. sorry Shuichi..."

"N-No, you were right t-to be suspective. Please d-don't cry..."

Kyoko still looked like she couldn't forgive herself either, but Shuichi's forgiveness was enough for her to take a shaky exhale in relief. Shuichi went from Kokichi's arms into Kyoko's, and they too had a long embrace.

Taeko stared at the events that unfolded. She had lost the battle, but may have won the war from this entire situation alone. The weight on her shoulders finally came off.

**~~~**

"Well then...?" Taeko asked, once the situation had died down, and once everyone in the room had wiped all their tears away. "Would you like to play a game of Cluedo while we discuss past matters?"

Kyoko shakily laughed back. "I would love to."

They promptly sat down, as Kyoko got the game out. It was the exact same board as the first time they have played.

“Nobody has ever beaten me in this game... except you. When you first beat me. I never had felt so humiliated...” Kyoko said it rather bluntly.

Taeko paused shuffling the cards in her hands.

“But... I had never wanted to play with another person so much as you, Celes- Taeko.” The detective continued. “Maybe you can teach me a lesson.”

Taeko smiled, “The same goes for you, Kyoko.”

~~~

"That ring..."

Kokichi sat in the front seat this time, watching the scenery from outside the car window. Taeko still kept her eyes on the road – she was expecting the question one day. She had prepared a fake answer beforehand, but she couldn't lie this time. He knows the truth after all

"If you hated... being Celestia... why did you keep on it for so long? Why did you keep it on for all your battles if you know you could get caught out?"

Taeko smiled wistfully, "It was my lucky charm, from... an old friend."

That would be a story for another day. One she wasn’t ready to tell yet.

She was going to have to explain it to Kyoko one day, and maybe then she'll get a clean sheet in her detective case. Maybe then Shuichi can be even more confident in revealing the truth. Maybe Kokichi would finally get to know about her past life...

...and maybe then she could finally move on.

Taeko looked both ways, before making the right turn.


	4. Akane & Hiyoko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akane was noticing more and more eccentricities with Hiyoko's behaviour. Will she learn a darker truth?

Hiyoko looked both ways, and that was when Akane’s suspicions first grew.

That girl has been acting irregularly for a while now, but Akane had never paid any attention to it. She would always dismiss it as some grief for Mahiru...

_...well, not anymore. She was watching Hiyoko, and she was acting too strangely._

**No! She wasn't stalking her. Hiyoko was just acting suspiciously!**

**~~~**

To be honest, she never thought that she’d be in the same vicinity as Hiyoko, but – after losing Mahiru – Sonia was quick to convince everybody to eat together for breakfast, lunch **AND** dinner. She would’ve complained if they hadn’t lost four people already.

_And so, this was where Hiyoko's eccentrics began to unfold..._

Sonia did convince everyone to eat together, but it didn’t mean they sat together too; the girls and the boys ate separately, while Mikan, Nagito and Hiyoko ate alone. _Nobody questioned it_.

They would get the food through a rotation, and Hiyoko would always voluntarily go last. **_Nobody questioned it_**.

And Hiyoko would always wait for the others to go back to their seats before she started to put her food in her tray. **_Nobody questioned it_**.

But one day, Akane was late. It wasn’t enough to warrant suspicion, as she was the only one late after all. You couldn’t commit a one-person murder after all.

Nobody questioned it.

_However, as she went upstairs, she noticed Hiyoko look left, and then right._

When she turned in Akane's direction, they didn't notice her yet, because the gymnast suddenly found herself peeking through, watching whatever Hiyoko was doing...

**No! Don’t take it in a creepy way! She was just being wary of her!**

...

And so, that was when Akane first started asking questions. 

_Why was she acting suspiciously now? Was she poisoning the food for her? Was she going to try pin the blame on any of the classmates here... but that’s everybody!_

Her questions were answered quickly though – Hiyoko may have covered the food she was taking with the kimono, but the actions spoke for itself. She was taking... food... a lot of it.

Too much of it.

It was enough for Akane to watch incredulously. This was certainly not the amount she had expected at all.

After all, on Akane’s Weekly Food League Table (yes, she called it that), she had placed Hiyoko last. She never bothered to calculate how much Hiyoko truly ate, since she guessed that she would come last due anyway to her stature.

Well, the only reason why she could calculate everybody else’s values because she was second-to-last on rotation (to prevent her from eating everything available). As she continued to stare, mouth agape, she was still coming to terms with how much Hiyoko was taking right now.

From this amount, she would be pushing 3rd or 4th!

She was taking more than both Gundham **AND** Mikan. 

**She was close to eating Akane's amount!**

As she was about to reveal herself, and immediately question how in the hell she was going to eat it all, Hiyoko had run off to the back tables... her usual location.

Akane came up the stairs completely now, and watched the dancer wondrously. She was definitely eating it all, but she was also facing away from them, as if she were attempting to hide it from her classmates.

_Had she always been doing this? Had she always taken this much food? Had Akane not noticed? Had nobody noticed at all?_

...

This girl made no sense.

**~~~**

At lunch, there was an even bigger surprise for her. 

Out of curiosity, Akane had come purposefully late for a second time. She wondered if someone would question her afterwards, but right now, she was trying to catch Hiyoko out.

Well, it went exactly to plan. Hiyoko was last, and she waited for everybody to sit down. Had she always went last on purpose? Did she always wait for the others to sit down, before taking her food?

Akane watched in anticipation as Hiyoko reached her hand out to pick treats to take. The gymnast watched in intent. She wanted to know so badly...

No! She isn’t jealous that Hiyoko could stay so slim! Definitely not that! She was just wanting to update her Akane Weekly Food League Table!

**~~~**

What?

Akane watched from the corner by the staircase: Hiyoko had held a tray for 2 minutes; pretended to take food to put in her tray; looked left and right for a third time; and ran back towards her table. 

_But that just means ... she didn't even take anything!_

_Why would she waste her time like that...? Why was she hiding it at such great lengths?_

_If she wasn’t hungry, she didn’t have to go through all that trouble... right?_

She didn’t think Hiyoko could ever confuse her so much, but she had been proven wrong at least three times today!

...

When the gymnast revealed herself a few minutes later, to get her food, her eyes followed to Hiyoko table, who was sitting still. Her back was turned like at breakfast, and she was simply staring at the empty tray.

Staring. Nothing less, and nothing more.

Conversations were happening to the left and right of her when she finally got herself seated, but she had no desire to participate in them – because something felt wrong. After all, Hiyoko had been staring intently at nothing for the last 15 minutes. What was on her mind?? Was she even alive?

She didn’t even realise that she hadn’t started to eat her food until Ibuki mentioned it. Her table snickered for a bit, as they all prepared to leave. She didn't realise how much time had passed, solely from Akane's theorising over Hiyoko's... actions.

_Speaking of Hiyoko..._

_They were the only two upstairs now._

Akane was about to start eating, but then the sound of scraping chairs echoed in the restaurant. She watched Hiyoko as she walked towards to the exit. 

She tried to take a closer look at the girl: she looked so melancholy, with that horribly depressed grimace on her face. She wondered what depressing thoughts Hiyoko was thinking as she sat alone. After all, they had both been deep in thought for the past 20 minutes...

Hiyoko looked up for a second, to look at Akane. That's when she noticed that the tears in her eyes.

Burning questions lingered in her mind. She needed to talk. _Now_.

"Hey, Hiyoko... why didn't ya eatin' anything?" Akane finally asked. She didn't notice the horrified expression that was on the dancer’s face yet. "I mean, you don't hafta answer, but at breakfast, you had so much-"

"What the hell you...!?" Hiyoko shouted, interrupting Akane entirely. "Stop watching me you... creep!"

Huh... Hiyoko usually had better insults than that.

"Hey! I'm just-".

However, before Akane could say anything more, Hiyoko had ran out of the restaurant. She wiped her tears with her kimono as she ran downstairs, out of sight.

She was alone.

Without properly thinking, Akane quickly looked out of the window. She watched as Hiyoko slipped with speed into her dorm. She slammed the door shut with a much greater force than she ever expected Hiyoko to show.

**The hell is her problem? She's making less and less sense the more she learns about her...**

**~~~**

Akane decided the best way to get her mind off from Hiyoko was from training, and Nekomaru was the go-to person.

It worked. Of course it worked; a little bit of sparring could shift Akane's focus and mindset immediately, and this wasn't an exception. She was confused, sure, but she didn't have to think about Hiyoko’s eccentric behaviour all the time!

~~_But that was a lie. Of course it didn't do that. She was thinking about that conversation the entire day. She had never thought she'd ask so many questions, but here she was, questioning Hiyoko's identity for the past 7 hours._ ~~

She decided to go and get dinner earlier. After all, she was tired, and all her energy had zapped out of her in an instant. 

It was close enough to Sonia's time anyway, which means she could stay upstairs. 

The plan was to get extras while she still could, as it meant that she could have more for seconds! Plus, she could take the corner seat, but that was an added bonus. It was such a good idea... maybe she should eat food earlier more often!

So she went upstairs with a positive outlook. As she walked to the dishes though, she let out an audible gasp. 

_Why was so much food missing..?_

She thought back to the moment when she thought she saw Hiyoko, leaving to her dorm in a hurry. Did she... eat all this? It had to be her... right? Only Hiyoko would care enough to hide the fact she was upstairs in the first place.

_But why was she doing this now?? Was she eating earlier because of what Akane's said? Was she that scared of telling her the truth?_

But more importantly...

**That damn girl! Taking the best for herself. Who does she think she is!?**

**~~~**

By the time Hiyoko had come up with the rest of her friends a few minutes later, she was weakly smiling. _Were her smiles always this forced?_

She said she wasn’t hungry, but it was obvious that she had already eaten. Nobody questioned it, but Akane wanted to scream the obvious flaws. The obliviousness was killing her.

Akane felt glad that she had the corner seat this time, because it also meant she could get a better view of Hiyoko without being seen.

This time Hiyoko had nothing on her plate, and she said (right away) that she wasn’t full to everybody this time. _Ugh... at least that’s what she wanted them to believe. She knew that it was a lie. She had already eaten, hadn’t she!_

Well... she wasn't going to let Hiyoko plague her mind with all these questions. She needed to keep her eyes on her at all times.

...

**No! She wasn't being some weird pedophile!? She was tired of not understanding!**

**~~~**

...

She first thought that the tears were some allergic reaction to something, but it was obvious that it wasn't the case.

_Because Hiyoko had been trying to choke back her tears for the last 20 minutes._

For the first 10 minutes, she had slammed her head on the table, and kept it there. Then, the rest of it was her wiping her stinging eyes, and trying to hold back the tears that inevitably fell. 

_Was Hiyoko always like this? Had nobody noticed? Sure, most people were on Fuyuhiko but this girl was suffering... alone..._

She couldn't record any behaviour after that, because Hiyoko was also the very first to leave. She wasn't allowed to leave yet; well it was one of Sonia's rules, but they still shouldn't have!

"Hey! It's not 7 yet!" The girl had ignored Hajime's words, running even faster. 

...

Akane was trying to wrap her mind around what she had just witnessed. She had to speak up, about what she saw.

"Was it just me, or she cryin' back there?" Akane asked. She felt the mood in the room change.

"Oh, really?"

"Maybe I should talk to her about it..."

"It appears that Hiyoko has been clouded by the delusions of Hell. Cursed by the hellfire that remains dormant in her mind!" 

"Oh, poor Hiyoko." Sonia's words cut through, (probably because she was sitting beside her). "Well, it must be because of..."

Well, Sonia didn't need to finish the sentence... it wasn't like anybody really wanted her to do so anyway. The mood suddenly felt a lot darker. 

Akane thought about it for a second. Mahiru may have been the reason, but she had noticed Hiyoko leave in a fit of tears on numerous occasions...

...every time she left the restaurant. Every. Single. Time.

She was surprised that Hajime hadn't noticed anything, but these days, he was in his own world. Nagito was in his own world too... in fact, it seemed like only Akane was aware of Hiyoko's strange behaviour lately.

_One thing was for certain though. Her gut was saying that it was more than just Mahiru._

"Maybe it's because she's eating too much," Akane said nonchalantly, while the silence was still prominent.

Ibuki choked on her drink before laughing uncontrollably, and then it was Nekomaru. Soon, the entire table were laughing, except for Akane and Chiaki.

"A-Akane," Ibuki tried to say in between her giggling, "You're s-so weird sometimes."

Akane wasn't laughing. The thought had sprung to her mind without any thought, and it almost felt like... that was the reason. It made perfect sense in her head after all: that's why Hiyoko didn't eat in front of others, and didn't let anyone know how much she was eating. It was a gut feeling.

_A gut feeling that she wanted to pursue. A gut feeling that she WILL peruse._

_She wanted answers, and there was only one way for her to do it._

**~~~**

_She kept an eye on her. A very, very close eye._

**No! She wasn't stalking her! She could be plotting a murder, and she had to be the one to report the behaviour!**

Well, it was hard to make excuses for the people who saw her, and she had to make some sacrifices: She had to tell Nekomaru that she wasn't feeling the training, and that maybe she'll do it by herself. It was a lie, yes, but it was an important lie. She even had to lie to Hajime and Chiaki, who noticed her wary behaviour around the school.

_They didn't ask questions. They didn't know she was actually monitoring Hiyoko..._

...

_Dorm. Walk. Restaurant. Dorm. Walk. Restaurant. Walk. Restaurant. Dorm. Restaurant. Dorm. Walk. Dorm..._

**She hadn't even talked to anyone, for an entire day, and neither did Hiyoko.**

It was very, very weird to her: Why Hiyoko would go to her place immediately after eating; why she would come out of the dorm with tears in her eyes; why she would have such an intense faraway look as she walked.

And, even after all that, none of her questions were answered. Even following her for an entire day did not explain why she would be crying all day like that, and how she wasn't losing weight.

If only Hajime or Nagito or Monomi noticed... maybe they could explain to her what the hell she is going through right now. But of course, the only person to even realise Hiyoko's... suffering... was Akane herself. Was it really because of Mahiru...?

She was staring at Hiyoko now, who was wiping the tears in her eyes. She was outside, at the dead of night, looking up at the sky. She fought to urge to go up to her, and voice her concerns, but she thought back to what Hiyoko had shouted before. Of course, she didn't want to push it, but she still wanted to help her, in whatever way she could.

_She stared at her a little while longer. She was trembling._

_Akane made up her mind. Tomorrow morning. She was going to confront her._

**~~~**

Akane stood up from her seat suddenly. Both Nekomaru and Hajime looked up, and the others watched in surprise as she walked to the back of the room.

"Is she crazy?" She could hear Kazuichi whisper to his table, and Gundham then started to make one of his speeches again.

When she walked up to the back tables, she could see Hiyoko eating hungrily and quickly, with overflowing tears down her eyes. Her eyes weren't playing tricks... she really was eating that much, and she really was crying. Why so quickly though?

_Hiyoko hadn't noticed her yet. Now was her chance._

_She took a deep breath, before sitting herself down, opposite Hiyoko._

The girl herself visibility recoiled back in horror as she watched Akane sitting down, right opposite to her. Her eyes had widened, and she started to cover all the food she had gathered. She was even shaking slightly, as if she had never expected anyone to willingly sit beside her. Especially not her.

_Akane's gut feelings were right... she was ashamed because she was eating so much. There were still a lot more things that need explaining... like why?_

"W-What the hell are you d-doing here, y-you flower eating cow!?" 

Hiyoko practically screamed at her, to the point where her voice cracked. She could hear sounds coming from tables away: giggling, and then shushing, and then silence.

"H-Hey! I'm just concerned about you, that's all!" Akane said, right back at her.

"I don't need pity from you! Go outside and eat there instead!" 

"It's not about that! It's about the..." Akane quickly fell to a whisper, "...the league table."

"What the fuck are you talking about? A league table of what? How many flowers people have eaten? Well, you would win first, second AND third place then, you vegetarian animal!"

_Ibuki started cackling, and everyone else was quickly trying to shush her._

Akane quickly fell to whisper shouting. She had to get the point across to her. She had enough of the unanswered questions. In fact, she could tell her while the others were trying to calm down Ibuki! She had to do it now.

"You've been eatin' way too much! Do you just have just really high metabolism? And why do you always go to your dorm afterwards!? At lunch, you don't even-"

She would have continued to speak if it weren’t for the face of pure terror that was on Hiyoko's face. She looked so afraid, looking at Akane's eyes with... an emotion that wasn't even anger. In fact, she looked closer to tears than anything.

"I-I need to go to the restroom! G-Go away!"

_Hiyoko practically ran._

_They all saw the tears too._

Akane stared at Hiyoko's tray. She had eaten it all so quickly – the gymnast could've sworn that she had walked up to her table 10 minutes after Hiyoko first sat down... and why was she crying? Is she using food as a comfort?

It looked like such a sloppy mess too. Had she used her hands? It wasn't Hiyoko-like at all. She was... really confused. Why...?

**~~~**

No more questions.

She found herself running down the stairs. She didn't even listen to her other classmates, because all Akane could think about was following Hiyoko towards her dorm.

After all, she had posed this theory for so long, and she had to get answers. Not to mention her gut feelings were telling her that something bad was about to happen.

They were all planning to track down Hiyoko, but Akane felt like she already knew where the girl was... she needed to get to her first.

She had checked the ones in the dining hall first and realised she hadn't run off to those, as they were locked. It was almost convenient because there was only one more place that she would definitely go to...

_...Her gut feelings had screamed for Hiyoko's dorm, so she was there next. She prayed that it would be open._

As if Nagito’s luck was on her side, it was open, and it didn't take long to realise that Hiyoko was definitely in here. It looked like she had been scrambling towards a certain location; some of her stuff was knocked on the floor in her hurry.

_But where would she go? If she was a Hiyoko, where would she hide?_

She looked to the bathroom immediately. **There**.

...

There were sounds coming from inside. It sounded like she was... _in pain!_

She was choking, and breathing heavily... had someone poisoned her with the food? Did somebody else notice her eating behaviour, and took advantage of it? Was this why she went to her dorm so many times each day? Was it just a severe health problem?

"I'm going to save you." Akane whispered to herself, as she prepared herself. 

Then, with all her might, she kicked the bathroom door open, with all her might, with all the concern on Hiyoko's behaviour right now, with all the questioned that burned into Akane's mindset. 

It opened on impact.

_Hiyoko had two fingers in her mouth._

**~~~**

She didn't need to be given an explanation about it. As a gymnast, she had known friends of friends, who did... things like this. Akane's very very last thought would be Hiyoko having an eating disorder, but everything clicked now:

It explained how she smelled like; how she would hoard food in private; how she would eat it so quickly, and run to the dorms afterwards; why always had tears in her eyes before and after she ate; why she wouldn’t eat at lunch...

_Hiyoko had screamed loudly during Mahiru's trial, but it was absolutely nothing compared to the sounds that came from her mouth right now. It was ugly: she looked so vulnerable lying down on the floor in that position; her voice started to crack with every shriek that came... it wasn't even words anymore, and she looked so terrified with that look on her face._

It didn't help that Hajime came running inside after hearing that scream. Mikan soon came thereafter, and then the entire group was here. They all just stood dumbfoundedly at the scene unfolding – Hiyoko probably wanted then and there to disappear forever. She must’ve felt so pathetic...

Akane found herself approaching Hiyoko, who was still sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Right now was probably the very very last way the dancer wanted her secret to be found out. 

She took hesitant steps, until they were at arms-reach. Without thinking, Akane wrapped her arms around the shaking mess.

"I-I'm going to help. We're going to help you."

And Hiyoko was still crying, but she had her arms around Akane too. She was crying on her shirt, with tears that wouldn't stop at all. 

**Akane just squeezed harder.**

**~~~**

When Hiyoko woke up, she felt like she was alone.

She couldn’t remember how she got here in the first place. She had already thought back to the last distinct memory she had, and it was of Akane, sitting beside her. Everything afterwards was a blur...

_Did she find out..?_

“I can’t believe Monakuma opened her door...” a high-pitched voice said to themselves.

Hiyoko sat up, and the unnamed voice let out an unpleasant squeal. She was too drained of energy to make a snarky comment.

She quickly realised there were two people in the room with her.

**Chiaki and Monomi.**

She would’ve asked why the Ultimate Gamer was keeping watch of her of all people, but the dancer chose to remain silent. All three of them chose to remain silent in-fact. Well, Monomi had a concerned face on her, but she looked almost relieved, while Chiaki looked completely expressionless.

The two of them maintained eye contact; the way the moonlight shined on her made Chiaki look almost angelic for a moment.

“You’ve been suffering from this for a while now, Hiyoko. Was it because of your mother?” Chiaki broke the silence.

...!

_They must’ve found out_. That explained why she was in the infirmary, and resting, and why she asked that question. She turned her gaze to Monomi, before going back to Chiaki and nodding with a tremor.

_It was so terrible. She thought she could stay strong in this “killing game”! She used to do... those habits... as a traditional dancer. She didn’t even know when it started, but all the stress and fear of assassination attempts, WHILE keeping her name as an Ultimate prominent! She-_

Hiyoko started hiccuping, and she felt more pathetic tears sliding across her pointless face. 

_And then she was taken here, and it felt like an exact repeat of those years. She couldn’t believe she would go back to her old ways, and she promised she wouldn’t! But then the one person she... **LOVED**... died and she was forced to stare at her dead body, with those eyes that she could never see the red shine in, and be forced to investigate while her dead, lifeless body like it was some twisted game-_

Hiyoko felt like she was about to break apart. She tried to wipe the tears with her kimono aggressively, but it would not do. _She just kept on crying._

“Hey, hey...” Chiaki said instantly. “You can confide in us...”

Another body came into view, and she felt two arms wrap around her. It felt like a similar warmth; neither pulled away. She felt another dam break inside of her, so much bigger than the one that broke for Mahiru. 

Hiyoko started to cry again.

How pathetic of her. She was crying yet again, but... she felt another feeling.

...

“You’ve been bottling this up for a while, haven’t you?” Chiaki stated. "It must feel good to finally let it go."

_Hiyoko started to cry harder. Why was Chiaki so right? Why did she feel like... Chiaki understood her? Why did Chiaki know what to say, and at the right time?_

“It hurts so much,” Hiyoko sobbed. She embraced the warm body a bit harder, and the person receiving it started to stroke her hair softly. It was a comfort that she had never experienced before, and she found herself hugging them harder.

...

“P-Please h-help me...” Hiyoko finally whispered after a silence. Her own voice sounded so foreign to her, and she never felt more at home with herself. 

“We will, Hiyoko. It’s a promise.” Chiaki said. 

“I-I-I’m sorry,” Hiyoko wiped her tears with the kimono, but she had the most genuine smile on her face right now.

She would've started laughing if it wasn't for her drooping eyelids; she could feel herself falling asleep in the embrace of this person. She wanted to thank the figure, but she soon succumbed to exhaustion. She fell asleep.

...

Akane smiled, as she hugged Hiyoko a bit tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate all kudos! Please comment on what you like and what you DISLIKE, because I want to become a better writer.


	5. Celestia x Kyoko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko comes home late and Celestia just wants to help

Celestia looked both ways, before shutting the front door for the second time.

She huffed, with her annoyance towards her wife slowly rising. It had been hours since she had made dinner for the both of them, but Kyoko still hadn't arrived home yet. Her car wasn't even outside yet.

No, she wasn't worried about her. Every few hours, Celestia would call Makoto, waiting for him to say something along the lines of _‘Kyoko’s getting ready to leave now’_.

But instead, it was something along the lines of:

**'Kyoko was overworking... again'.**

If it weren’t the third night in a row, Celestia wouldn’t have complained, but this time she let her anger out on the pillow she was holding. _Why did her wife have to be so problematic?_

This time, she contemplated calling Sayaka, just so she could chew everybody out through the phone. Sayaka and Makoto were friendly assistants to Kyoko's agency, but even they should know when to tell her wife to get home!

…

The gambler grumbled, twirling her hair with her fingers. The gameshows she had watched tonight weren't interesting in the slightest, but she had to stay awake. She wanted Kyoko to know exactly how she was feeling, and she wanted to see the look of her wife's face as she lectured her.

_But now...?_

She looked at the time. 11:00 pm, and rolled her eyes. She should've been here an hour ago? So how long will it be until she arrives? 

**~~~**

Rather sluggishly, Celestia opened her eyes. 

She rubbed her eyes, and tried to deduct where she was. She was facing the TV, which was on some nature show. Her legs were tucked into the sofa, and she could feel the sleep marks on the side of her face. She quickly deducted that she had fallen asleep, but for how long?

Her eyes trailed over to see the time. It was 1:00 am...

_**... 1 am!?** _Her eyes widened in horror. 

Has Kyoko come home yet? Had she fallen asleep for this long waiting for her? Where the hell was Kyoko?

She answered the first question immediately.

No. She STILL wasn't here. If that were the case, the TV would be turned off, or there would be a blanket over her body. That was what happened the last two nights in a row. 

Celestia thought back to the dinner she had made; all that effort she put into it had gone to waste.

_Kyoko promised! She promised that she would return early this time! And Celestia trusted her! She trusted that Kyoko would come early, and then they could have a romantic dinner together, and they could finally have a meal together!_

**_But of course she lied. Celestia liked to lie, but she would never make one so personally attached like this one…_ **

****

She quickly looked at her phone – she prayed that Kyoko had apologised to her through text messages. Instead, she found herself staring at her notifications dumbfoundedly: the only missed calls and messages that she had received were from Makoto and Sayaka...? Not even an apology from her own wife? Not even an explanation of what, why, and how?

Her wife had apologised the last two nights, but not for this?

_Celestia went from angry to FURIOUS._

It was only then when she had heard the front door opening, and the jingling of keys.

She had finally arrived, but Celestia didn’t know what emotions she should feel… should she be happy? or relieve? Or angry?

She tried to get the words ready in her mouth, but only two words came out from the jumbled mess in her mind.

" **Kyoko Kirigiri!** " She shouted angrily. She didn’t have the energy to stand up. "Where have you been!?"

If her wife had heard her, she didn't respond. All she could do was watch from the sofa as Kyoko came into view; she quickly hesitated when she saw her, and it wasn’t because she had kept her shoes on.

_As a gambler, she was able to read the emotions of any face, no matter how stoic, or how fake it was. It was a blur of emotions on Kyoko's face: defeated, angry, upset, frustrated... and extremely, extremely tired._

Kyoko had dragged herself up the stairs by then, but (by then) she had definitely processed the words now; her footsteps stopped sounding midway. As she was about to continue speaking, Kyoko continued to walk up the stairs.

_No response... it was the third night this had happened... in a row._

This behaviour was so typical of Kyoko, that she didn't have the anger to peruse it anymore.

Her mind conflicted over how she should approach Kyoko, or whether she should at all? Defeatedly, she decided to check her phone. Maybe they can explain her behaviour, and – if they don't explain it – she'll force them to.

10 unread messages from Sayaka:

Sayanaise: just so u know

Sayanaise: kyoko is pretty fustrated

Sayanaise: like

Sayanaise: she hasnt talked to us for the last 8 hours

Sayanaise: i think its this case

Sayanaise: *image*

Sayanaise: like come on, like the only clue is an open window 

Sayanaise: maybe you should talk to her

Sayanaise: hello? i know i didnt tell you about this until now im sorry

Sayanaise: /tts celes celes celes celes celes celes celes celes celes celes celes

She stopped reading, to look at Makoto's messages. 

Makoto: Sayaka's probably told you already, but Kyoko is really really annoyed about this case. 

Makoto: We've spent the last few days on it. I think the lack of footprints or obvious clues is getting to her.

Makoto: Well, there was the murder weapon behind his back. Kyoko had been analysing the knife for 2 days straight.

Makoto: I tried to calm her down a bit, but please don't be mad at her. Help her out if you can.

Makoto: hey ths is sayaka celery stick are yyou ifnoring me mesndydssxds

Makoto: celes dont uigbore nmeu i luv uuawbdaid

Celestia's eyes softened. So this was why she was acting this way? She was getting herself worked up over a case? She should've expected this.

Celeste: Tell me more about this case if you may?

Was there a point of asking? They were probably asleep (in each other's arms) anyway.

She pondered over why Kyoko wouldn't say anything, and why she wasn’t surprised about it. Of course, Celestia knew that her wife took detective work seriously, to the point that she'd take unsolvable ones personally. She remembered the one occasion when Kyoko couldn’t solve on the day, and how she shut herself off from Celeste, and ceased any outward emotion momentarily. She did all that for one case. 

Was she really that invested in her cases? Or was there another reason that she lying to Celestia about her emotions?

...

_Every morning after the first night, she'd lie_. It was an obvious lie, and Kyoko probably knew that too. However, she wasn’t mad at that: Celestia’s only wished that Kyoko could admit it to her face! She didn't want to have to ask her to explain; she wanted her to do it!

As she closed the app, she prepared herself mentally, she came to a decision. She wanted to help her wife, to destress her, and then she'll try persuading Kyoko to open up to her.

She softly exhaled, as she stared at her home screen: her wife looked gorgeous in that wedding dress, and with that heart-warmingly cute smile on her (usually stoic) face. She wanted to get to the bottom of her behaviour.

_And Celestia wanted to see that smile again._

**~~~**

**...**

Kyoko rubbed her eyes open. It seemed like her wife had gotten up earlier than usual. 

Usually, Celeste would have her arms wrapped around her waist, or would be twirling her silver hair. However, as of now, she wasn't beside her... perhaps she was still angry at her?

She must admit that this behaviour was very unhealthy – she had been staying up overnight at her agency, trying her best to solve this case. She had thought of many possibilities, yet none seemed to explain the circumstances. The case itself had definitely affected her... and Celeste.

The worst part is that she hasn't even offered an explanation to her own wife...

...

Now wasn't the time to think intrusive thoughts – the best course of action is to apologise... and then work on this case for longer.

The detective got herself up. She was still wearing the clothes from last night. It only made her feel worse. Has this case really taken over her life like this?

The words were ready in her mouth, as she went downstairs. She would apologise for her actions, and then try her best to stop herself from doing so next time... similar to what she had said yesterday. _Well, exactly what she had said yesterday morning._

Before she could fully go downstairs though, she stopped herself. A very alluring smell was coming from the kitchen. What was the implication of this? Had Celeste planned a special occasion?

Deciding not to hurry, she walked herself towards the kitchen calmly. 

She had expected nothing much, but was instead met with a _heavenly_ sight (Celeste). It seemed like her wife had worn her – and Kyoko's – favourite dress. She was also playing soft ambient music as she cooked.

"Oh, good morning Kyoko," If the detective thought her wife looked cute now, the look that she was giving her now would have sent her over the edge. "I made tea for you."

It looked like her favourite tea too, and Kyoko stared blankly at it. She was trying to explain in her head why Celeste was... treating her like this, when it should be Kyoko apologising for her actions.

And why Celeste looked so captivating in those silky red and black clothes...

"I need to leave early today, but thank you-"

Celeste slammed the table.

_**"No."** _

Kyoko's eyes widened, as her eyes followed Celeste. The gambler silently walked up to her, and quickly places both her hands upon Kyoko's shoulder. It left the detective speechless for a moment; the only place she could stare at was her mesmerising eyes.

_And Celeste noticed that because she had the smuggest grin on her face right now._

"You've been working so hard, Kyoko~" Celeste lustily lead Kyoko towards the chair behind her, and quickly sat her down. Kyoko didn't fight back. "You deserve a reward for all your hard work."

As Kyoko was blushing profusely, Celestia seated herself down on Kyoko's lap, and started to play, to weave, to chew on her silver hair. At every single given moment, her wife was taking her breath away. The perfume on her was also very intoxicating – her wife was making her go crazy.

"Well, I am correct, am I not?" Celeste must have stared into her dilated eyes for an eternity before she started giggling to herself. Kyoko could feel her heart hammering through her work clothes, but she still had the mouth to speak her mind.

"Celeste..."

In return, Celeste put her finger on Kyoko's lips. "I told Makoto that you were taking a day off."

**_What!?_ **

Kyoko was about to argue in protest, but Celeste still kept Kyoko’s mouth shut. "You've been stressing to yourself about this case, haven't you? Well, I'm going to help you... _relax_ ~"

Suddenly, Celeste was leaning towards her. If Kyoko was more controlled, she would've moved back, and prepared to leave. However, the way her wife was grinding on her leg... it only made her want to lean forwards. She found herself closing her eyes subconsciously. She found herself leaning in towards Celeste’s hot breaths.

...

Whatever feelings she had felt stopped at once. She opened her eyes in her surprise, and they met with Celeste’s; there was a devilish smile on her pretty face. 

_"No touching, Kyoko."_

She only realised then, that she had put both her hands around Celeste's waist. A rush of embarrassment slowly rose to Kyoko's cheeks.

"Was this your plan Celeste, to tease me like this?"

By then, her wife had stood up, and faced the detective. Her smile hadn't faltered one bit – it was like Kyoko had stepped into her grounds, and she wouldn't escape her clutches.

"I'm going to de-stress you; since you've been working so hard. We can do whatever you want, that isn't detective work." Celeste punctuated. She probably had these words ready in her mouth. "And don't tell me you didn't enjoy that~"

Kyoko thought. Celeste couldn't just bar her from her work, but then again... she had been thinking about this case for much too long. Perhaps this could help her clear her mind. She’ll have a refreshed state of mind tomorrow. This could also act as her apology; accepting Celeste's offer like this... 

_...and she really did enjoy that._

"Alright."

Celeste smiled at her playfully. "So where would you like to begin?"

**~~~**

_Kyoko smiled to herself._

It was the perfect weather to go for a walk. After all, she used to take this path, but she had fallen out of the habit after one too many cases. The other noticeable difference was that her wife was holding hands with her. 

She could not complain.

It was refreshing to say the very least. She found that – for the very first time in a while – she was thinking of something that wasn't detective work (or Celeste). Due to her working hours, she would arrive home when the sun would've fallen far enough; she could never appreciate how lovely the scenery looked, until now. 

This was also the longest the two of them have spoken in a long time. She almost forgot how close the relationship between the two of them was. All that time spent away in detective cases really had done a toll on both of them. But it was a case that was so unexplainable that she couldn't find herself thinking of anything else.

But then, Celeste came. She must have seen the dilemma she had faced and made the solution in her own hands. She was trying to help her in her own way, and it was helping. _Celeste was helping._

She could feel the weight slowly lift from her shoulders. Her wife was doing so much to help her.

"Thank you,” Kyoko whispered shakily.

Celeste squeezed her hand a bit tighter.

**~~~**

The "date" was as good as she imagined it to be. Celeste would make reassuring smiles and would squeeze her hands a bit tighter when she would look uncertain. She could read her emotions. She knew when that the detective case was slowly infiltrating her mind – and Celeste always knew how to change the focus towards her.

Celestia also kept checking her phone, and she would smile gleefully. She wondered whether she was texting a friend about this, because she would take photos of where she went. It wasn't much concern to her anyway.

When they arrived home, Celeste led her towards the living room. They had been holding hands for a while now.

It would also be the second time that Kyoko would be forced to be seated by Celeste, but it wasn't unwelcome by the detective.

"You've been ignoring me for so long, Kyoko~"

Celeste had sat down on her legs yet again, but this time, she was facing her with her deep crimson eyes. She was looking at her so hungrily, and Kyoko silently wondered if she would take the extra step. All she could do was stare right back, as Celeste wrapped her arms around her neck. 

"Talk to me. Tell me what you are feeling." She whispered. Their bodies were touching. "It's this case, isn't it? You were hiding things from me when we walked."

Kyoko stared.

Was this what she wanted? It was true that she had been hiding her feelings from Celeste, but at the same time, this case has been so frustrating. She feared that talking about it would only be a burden to the both of them. 

She looked back up at her: she may be lying with her emotions right now, but – through that fiery look in her eyes – she found a pool of concern. _She was concerned about her_.

Kyoko had been worried to let Celeste know, but her wife had been worried from her silence the entire time.

_**Why did she get it so horribly wrong?** _

"I'm sorry Celeste," Kyoko said, her eyes trailing away. "I don't understand why this is affecting me so much. All this stress..."

She hesitated.

Celeste quickly cupped both her hands around Kyoko's cheek. Crimson eyes met with lilac ones, and they stared for a few moments at each other. 

"Celestia..."

Something must have suddenly lit up inside of her wife because she quickly pounced on top of her. Before Kyoko could say anything, she began to fiercely kiss her on the lips. 

All Kyoko could do was continue to stare at her wife incredulously; Celeste was directly on top of her and wasn't giving her a break with her tongue. She could feel all her problems alleviating as her wife expertly wove her tongue inside Kyoko's mouth.

She was doing it again though; the stress was slowly alleviating

She never would have expected to do such things to her wife ever; but it would be to lie to say she did not enjoy it. Her wife had planned this day out especially for her, and it was all to help her relax from her detective work. She didn't have the words to voice how grateful she was right now.

Their hands quickly interlaced as Kyoko started to return the kiss. Soon, the both of them were simply passionately making out on the couch. 

Through it all, Kyoko could see the relieved smile that was on her face.

**~~~**

Right now, they were both breathing heavily on one another. It was raw, and they were both out of breath from all the kisses they had exchanged. 

"Just... tell me everything... my queen."

After all that, Celestia was still smiling. She felt the smile also growing on her lips too. Maybe talking about this would help; maybe she'll work harder to make her less stressed, instead of delaying it after every case is done; maybe Celeste could advise her.

"Thank you."

**~~~**

She smiled gratefully as she finally powered her phone on. There were hundreds of messages from their "group chat". 

Makoto: That's it right?

Sayanaise: mmhm! checking that treehouse was definitely a good idea

Sayanaise: especially since it was in an unused garden

Makoto: So they simply threw the knife through the open window into the house.

Makoto: Which would leave no evidence of two people inside the house?

Sayanaise: when celery stick asked for a view from top i thought she was crazy

Sayanaise: and then she drew that line from the treehouse through the window to the body, and I was there like rybfybfhnfufnum

Sayanaise: fbhdbufnvjnfhbfunfjnvh

Sayanaise: sorry im excited i wonder what kyoko would say once she sees this

Makoto: Well, Kyoko is busy with Celeste today, right?

Sayanaise: they are probably having so much fun right now~

Sayanaise: i need to ask kyoko when she comes online

She gasped. Celeste had solved the case? She had done this all for her? She stared at the sleeping body next to her; had she stayed up overnight?

Kyoko Kirigiri: Is this true?

Sayanaise: kyoko!!! did you see what happened scroll uppppppp

Sayanaise: tl;dr celeste is smart

Kyoko Kirigiri: It seems like the case. It was thrown through the window?

Sayanaise: ya me and makoto checked this morning and she was right

Sayanaise: a lot more evidence from the treehouse was related to the case

Makoto: Did you and Celeste have fun?

_Tonight was special. She was experiencing feelings that she was having trouble describing. Celeste had done this all for her? For her happiness?_

_She started to laugh._

Kyoko Kirigiri: I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sayanaise: ummm but that would be makoto tho  
> Kyoko Kirigiri: You understand what I am saying, Sayaka.


	6. Chiaki & Nagito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagito and Chiaki meet for the first time, and he plays an arcade game with her!

Nagito looked both ways before entering the Hotel Lobby.

As of now, he had met around 12 of the 16 students in this island, keeping a mental note of as much information on them as possible. The simple truth was that he was truly enamoured by each of them.

To be in their ranks made him feel even more useless. _They were so much more interesting than him_.

As his eyes scouted over, looking for any new students to converse with, he noticed an outline, standing motionlessly over the arcade machines. 

Well, she wasn't completely still; her hands were moving at an _**alarming**_ rate.

He had done research on every single student before meeting them physically, but he didn’t need to do research to know that this girl had something to do with video games.

Nagito squinted at the girl, quickly connecting the dots in his head. _This_ one must be Chiaki Nanami, the _Ultimate_ _Gamer_. 

She was still concentrating on… whatever arcade game she was playing. It had something to do with a car, and driving it around while dodging other cars. She seemed pretty invested into it, as she still hadn't noticed when Nagito began to approach her.

“Hello! My name is Nagito Komaeda!” 

There was nothing in reply. Well, he expected that an _Ultimate_ like her would value **_anything_** else more than a waste of space like him. It had happened a multitude of times: with Hiyoko Saonji, Akane Owari, Gundham Tanaka, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu... he wasn't offended at all though.

Because he already knew that wasn't worth their time. _He just wanted to help them._

"Umm... hello? Can you hear me?"

There was still no response, and Nagito couldn't help by sigh. Oh well, it made sense for a student of Hope's Peak to ignore a classmate as worthless as him...

_As if on cue, Chiaki’s car suddenly crashed into another._

She muttered something underneath her breath, and grasped the handle a bit harder... until she crashed for a second time. Nagito would've called it bad luck if it was just those two times, but soon Chiaki count herself crashing again… and again… again… and again… soon enough, she had went from first to last, all in an instant.

...

Several concurrent crashed later, and Chiaki had seemingly had rage-quitted the game – well, if huffing in frustration, and giving up completely on the race counted as “rage-quitting” for an Ultimate Gamer, then Nagito didn’t know what was.

“Oh, were you here this whole time?” And now Chiaki was facing him.

Before Nagito noticed the shape of her face, or what colour shirt she was wearing, or even the colour of her eyes, he realised how expressionless her face was. Was it just a resting face..? Or was she already bored of talking to him? It made sense if it was either reason.

But nevertheless, Nagito kept his happy demeanour.

“Yes… my name is Nagito Komaeda. I am the Ultimate Lucky Student."

“Well, I am Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. It’s nice to meet you, Nagito.”

There was an awkward silence. Well, he had expected this. They hadn’t gotten off on the best foot, after all, and she didn't seem to be the best at talking...

… _but he wanted to please her._

_Well, he wanted to please every Ultimate student. He may have the title of one, but he wasn't on the same league as everyone else. All he desired to do was see the hope in every student; that was his true purpose, and every student – including this girl – was included in his plan._

“I know I shouldn't ask, but would you like to play that game together?” Nagito pointed to the arcade, and then quickly took note of the silence that quickly followed. 

“Oh! I guess I’m not worth your time-”

"No. We can play." 

She turned back around to face the arcade machine, and moved aside. Nagito joined her, strangely relieved about the predicament. He wondered how this interaction would go...

If he were to lose in purpose, he could serve as her stepping stone for the hope of winning more games! But if she noticed that he wasn’t taking it seriously, maybe it would backfire. But did it even matter? Someone like him can’t compete against an Ultimate Gamer and win. Even if he tried, he’d still lose...  
  


...So he could _try._

**~~~**

_**Nagito was last.** _   
  
  


Well, it wasn't really a surprise. His luck had oscillated so frequently from just today, that he had expected something like this to happen. And of course, as expected of the Ultimate Gamer, Chiaki was first.

She was concentrating. Well, Chiaki probably supposed that it was wise not to relax when playing against the Ultimate Lucky Student, and that was understandable.

Though Nagito would guess that the gamer was internally surprised at his "luck", through that expressionless face of hers.

Before he could internally monologue any more, Nagito picked up an item: a rocket. He used it immediately, and – soon enough – he was fifth. He picked up another item... another rocket.

"That's rare." Chiaki said, her eyes still glued to her side of the screen. It seemed like as if she could still see his screen, and concentrate just as well on the topic at hand... as expected of an Ultimate Student like her.

"Oh?" Nagito asked as he picked up the third rocket in a row. He was right behind Chiaki now, and the finishing line was nearing in. If Chiaki was concentrating any harder, Nagito couldn't tell.

Before long, they were neck and neck. Every time Nagito would fall back, a minor setback would happen to hinder Chiaki. They were at a standstill... 

... but suddenly, a car from the previous lap crashed into Chiaki. 

_Nagito took it as his chance to go all out._

_He passed the fishing line in ease._

"Well, Chiaki... it was a very fun game." Nagito said, rubbing his hands. To be honest, he fount it hard to take the smile off his face.

Chiaki was silent, and Nagito turned to look at her; from the way Chiaki was puffing her cheeks, it seemed like he had done something bad. Nagito's face quickly morphed from happiness into one of complete shame.

“Oh, did I do something wrong…? I feel so ashamed.” Nagito looked back down.

For an Ultimate Gamer, Chiaki probably expected herself to win most – if not every – game she touches. To come second to such a worthless human like himself... of course Chiaki would be surprised and angry at herself.

He had gotten carried away hadn’t he? He promised himself that he would only play to act as a stepping stone for Chiaki, so that she could be filled with the hope of winning! But instead, he had filled Chiaki with the despair of losing a game against him. 

"Well played..." 

Surprised at those words, Nagito quickly looked back up from his hands. He soon realised that Chiaki was actually smiling at him, and was reaching a hand out.

Nagito couldn't help but smile again too, and shook her hand tentatively. "You played extremely well. It's exactly how I would have pictured an Ultimate Gamer as yourself."

Chiaki continued to smile, and Nagito quickly came to her conclusion. The girl was an Ultimate; sometimes aloof, but ultimately a good person.

”Nagito, let’s play again someday. When we get out of here.” Chiaki said blankly, but a trace of competitiveness was in her voice.   
  


“Alright, I hope that we will!” Nagito replied.

... and of course, he hoped that he could.

**~~~**

"Hey!? What the fuck are you doing here?" 

"Oh, Hiyoko Saonji? It's nice to see you again, although I wonder how you are going to eat all that food..?"

"H-Hey, shut up!"

As commanded, Nagito shut his lips. It wasn't like he was truly paying his full attention to Hiyoko anyway; he was still thinking about Chiaki.

_He had met 13 of the 16, and only twelve of them had released an aura of either hope or despair to Nagito. After all, Nagito had the power to feel the hope or despair that lingered inside a person – it was a "talent" he had, which he never chose to question._

_And well, Hiyoko was oozing in despair as of now, and Mikan had been radiating hope from her body when they first met. The rest of his classmates had a blend of both._

_Although one of them had neither. Chiaki._

Did it mean anything? Was Chiaki simply concentrating on her game hard enough to not think of it. But even that didn't explain why he didn't feel any aura coming from her while they played. Maybe Chiaki didn't care about losing or winning? But even that didn't make sense...

~~... _Hmmmmm, Chiaki was strange, but also very interesting._~~

Nagito shook his head. He knew that people shouldn't judge others solely based on the hope or despair inside them, but he couldn't help it. Of course he couldn't help it.

...

Anyway, maybe that person who fainted was awake by now – maybe he should check on him. 

_Because his aura contained the most hope of all of them._

__**~~~**   
  


_I played a racing game with Nagito Komaeda.  
_

The words flew effortlessly in her head, as she wrote them in her diary. 

_His luck goes from good to bad over and over again. Maybe I should keep an eye on him._

**Author's Note:**

> I really appreciate all kudos! Please comment on what you like and what you DISLIKE, because I want to become a better writer.


End file.
